Reflection #2

Chapter 14 Response

When you open a book, you open a child’s mind. Often, we as educators limit our students to only chapter or multiple choice tests. We must ask ourselves, “Are we truly giving this child every possible opportunity to think abstractly and expand their thinking abilities?” As we read in the poem, what our students learn from a certain text is not always all there is to know about a certain subject. For instance, when I read about the temperatures and their extremes, along with the fact that daylight is only a dream, those few lines truly reached me. I can recall from a personal quest that for days on in Alaska’s sun makes it quite impossible to rest. So we as educators must do our best to stray away from the traditional chapter or multiple choice tests. In doing this, we can truly give our students every chance to achieve their absolute best.

Assessment Reflection

i. Throughout my student teaching, I have been able to use many forms of formative assessment due to the fact I am in an Agriculture Science classroom. The types I use the most frequently are class discussions, group activities, and in-class assignments. I use class discussion most frequently in both my professional communication class, as well my livestock evaluation course. These work very well because it allows my students to bounce ideas off of each other, as well as giving me a chance to see just where my students are.

ii. When it comes to summative assessment my PROCOMM class, I use presentations to assess my students. With my livestock kids I get the very special opportunity to use contests that involve kids around the state of Texas to asses my kids. Just this semester we will attend 14 different contests across the state!

iii. I believe that it is important to use a combination of both formative and summative assessment simply because it gives students the ability to succeed. By administering formative assessment on a daily basis we give a student many opportunities to grasp a concept, and by using summative, we allow them to take what they learned and have success. When a student gets a taste of success it’s like the floodgates open and they reach out for more and more every day.

iv. By the end of the semester, I plan to have my PROCOMM students participate in debates, as well as give a mock interview. For my livestock evaluation team, I would like to give them a project that I know they can achieve, and that project is to win the state championship this year so we have a chance to compete at the national level!